Magnesium-Titanium Alloys: A Promising Solution for Biodegradable Biomedical Implants

Magnesium (Mg) has attracted considerable attention as a biodegradable material for medical implants owing to its excellent biocompatibility, mitigating long-term toxicity and stress shielding. Nevertheless, challenges arise from its rapid degradation and low corrosion resistance under physiological conditions. To overcome these challenges, titanium (biocompatibility and corrosion resistance) has been integrated into Mg. The incorporation of titanium significantly improves mechanical and corrosion resistance properties, thereby enhancing performance in biological settings. Mg-Ti alloys are produced through mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering (SPS). The SPS technique transforms powder mixtures into bulk materials while preserving structural integrity, resulting in enhanced corrosion resistance, particularly Mg80-Ti20 alloy in simulated body fluids. Moreover, Mg-Ti alloy revealed no more toxicity when assessed on pre-osteoblastic cells. Furthermore, the ability of Mg-Ti-based alloy to create composites with polymers such as PLGA (polylactic-co-glycolic acid) widen their biomedical applications by regulating degradation and ensuring pH stability. These alloys promote temporary orthopaedic implants, offering initial load-bearing capacity during the healing process of fractures without requiring a second surgery for removal. To address scalability constraints, further research is necessary to investigate additional consolidation methods beyond SPS. It is essential to evaluate the relationship between corrosion and mechanical loading to confirm their adequacy in physiological environments. This review article highlights the importance of mechanical characterization and corrosion evaluation of Mg-Ti alloys, reinforcing their applicability in fracture fixation and various biomedical implants.